


The Unconcealable Truth

by PenguinofProse



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clarke can't lie, Episode: s06e11 Ashes to Ashes, F/M, Fluff, Honesty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:51:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26620183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenguinofProse/pseuds/PenguinofProse
Summary: In which Clarke wakes up from her ordeal with Josephine unable to tell a lie. Short, sweet and fluffy.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 36
Kudos: 180





	The Unconcealable Truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elora_Lane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elora_Lane/gifts).



> Hello and welcome to a quick oneshot to distract you from the episode tonight! This is set in 6.11 at the point Clarke wakes up in Gabriel's tent. Huge thanks to Elora-Lane for the prompt. Happy reading!

Clarke isn't feeling too good.

That's hardly surprising, she supposes. Having a psychopath removed from her brain will do that to a person. But all the same, she really does feel terrible – bone weary, head pounding, and somehow ashamed of all the trouble she's caused. She's supposed to save people, and she hates needing to be saved herself. She doesn't enjoy being the damsel-in-distress type.

That said, it was kind of heartwarming to learn that Bellamy is more than willing to drop everything and run if it means saving her life.

"You're awake." That's Bellamy's voice now, and he sounds happy about it.

"I am." She agrees, looking up and seeing him approach.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. Utter shit." She says, firm.

Huh. That wasn't what she was planning to say – she's not usually one for cursing. And more than that, she doesn't want to worry Bellamy, and he now looks distinctly concerned.

"What is it?" He asks, kneeling by her makeshift bed. "What hurts? What can I do?"

"Everything hurts." She complains. "Just – take care of me?" Wow. That was pathetic. She can't believe she just said that. What's wrong with her?

Bellamy doesn't seem to mind her ill-judged words in the slightest. He reaches for a cup of water, eases her into a sitting position and helps her to drink. His hand is warm on her bare shoulder and his eyes are gentle and concerned. It's all too easy to believe he might love her, in tender moments like this.

He even starts rubbing her back gently, which she's pretty sure is not a normal action between platonic friends.

"Any better?" He asks, soft.

"Yeah. It's nice having you look after me." She _definitely_ didn't mean to say that. She distinctly remembers planning to say 'I guess' in a carefree sort of tone to try to move on from all this foolish misguided honesty.

What the hell is wrong with her?

"Are you feeling OK?" He asks, beginning to frown.

"No."

He gives a nervous smile. "Of course. Silly question. _Utterly shit_ , right?"

"Uhuh."

She keeps quiet after that. She cannot make sense of it at all, but for whatever reason her words keep coming out wrong, so she figures it's better to say nothing at all.

No. Hang on, that's not it – her words aren't coming out wrong at all. They're coming out _right_ , coming out utterly and completely truthful whether she wants them to or not.

Damn it. That ordeal with Josephine must have damaged some part of her mind. For whatever reason, it seems like she cannot do anything but tell Bellamy the truth.

…...

Her policy of keeping quiet as far as possible serves her well through the crisis that follows. She gets away with pretending to be Josephine by saying very little – it's not like anyone ever outright asks her if she is Clarke, so she does not have to fail to lie about it.

But she hits a stumbling block, rather abruptly, when Bellamy comes to inform her that he's heading out of the village to seek the anomaly with his sister and Gabriel.

"I don't want you to go." She informs him, before she can remind herself to hold her tongue.

He frowns. "We'll be back before long. Will you be OK holding things together here?"

"No. I don't want you to go without me. I don't want you to go with Echo." She bites her lip, hard, wondering why her brain is letting her down like this.

He frowns harder. "Clarke? Is everything OK? I – I guess I don't have to go. I don't want to leave you on your own if – you know, after your mum."

She shakes her head, tears of grief and frustration starting to well in her eyes. "I'm not OK. There's my mum and there's something else too. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like – whenever I try to say the right thing, I end up saying the truth instead."

"What do you mean? Isn't the truth the right thing to say?" She sighs. Bless him and his naivety – she could have done without this. Because now he's asked her a direct question it seems that she is compelled to reply.

"The truth isn't always the right thing to say. Sometimes it can be awkward or unkind. Like when I want to say 'Stay safe and I'll see you soon' but I end up saying "I don't want you to go". Or when I want to say 'I'm happy for you that you're with Echo' but I – I -" She cuts herself off there, physically jams her fist against her mouth to stop the words spilling out.

Bellamy takes a step closer to her, eyes kind. "You're not happy that I'm with Echo? Why not?"

"Please don't ask me that." She croaks out, feeling small. It's not the answer to the question, but it is honest enough that she manages to say it – she really does desperately wish he wouldn't ask.

"Clarke -"

"Please don't ask me that. Please don't ask me to answer that question when you know I can't lie."

He reaches out for her fist – the one she jammed against her teeth to stop the words spilling out only moments ago. He uncurls her fingers, slowly, looking right in her eyes the whole time.

"That's exactly why I want to ask you, Clarke. _Please_. Why aren't you happy I'm with Echo?"

"Because I'm in love with you." The words tumble from her lips, and she is powerless to stop them.

He blinks at her, visibly stunned, for fully three seconds.

And then he steps forward, crushing her against him in the tightest of hugs. She's not sure about all this, really. She's aware that close hugs have always been one of the great things they share, but she's not aware that it's a conventional response to a love confession. She can't work out if this is him letting her down gently, or telling her he feels the same way.

Perhaps it's only him expressing his sympathies for the frankly terrible situation she finds herself in. She still feels physically awful, and she's just lost her mother, and now she's humiliated herself in front of the love of her life to boot.

He's been hugging her for a while when he eventually clarifies the situation.

"I love you, too." He whispers against her hair. "I'm in love with you. I love you. I've been wishing I could hear you say that for _years_."

"Me too." She admits, honest as ever.

He presses a kiss to her forehead as he pulls away. She misses his arms, but she's not going to say that. She's already embarrassed herself quite enough for one day. She's not going to say -

"I miss your arms." She mutters, annoyed with herself.

He chuckles. "I miss holding you, too. But we're doing this properly, OK? We're going to be very happy together just as soon as we have peace and I've spoken to Echo and we've figured out what's going on with my sister."

She frowns. It's always like that. "Why are there always so many problems to deal with before we get to be happy?"

He doesn't reply to that in words. He just looks sad, presses another kiss to her forehead. She's annoyed with herself for upsetting him, but she manages to keep her mouth shut on the matter.

He speaks up once more. "Are you feeling any better physically? Still got that headache?"

"It's a little better."

"Great." He takes her hand and squeezes as he looks about him. "So – peace? Anomaly? Where shall we start?"

"You should break up with Echo first." Clarke winces. She knew she was going to say that, but it would have been kinder not to. Curse this strange malfunction in her brain.

"You're right." He lets out a sigh. "I should have broken up with her the moment I learnt you were still alive."

She starts in surprise at that. "Have you forgotten how to hide the truth, too?"

"No. You've just shown me today that absolute honesty can be good for a relationship." He gives a sad smile. "Right. I guess – I guess I'll go do that."

"I don't think she'll be surprised." Clarke says, and obviously it's the truth.

Bellamy nods. "I know. I – yeah." He stalls to a halt, because really, what more is there to say about the woman he only ever loved as a substitute for Clarke? "And then will you come with me and O and Gabriel?"

"Of course I will. You're stuck with me now."

Bellamy grins. "You're still telling the truth, right?"

"I am." She confirms. "You're stuck with me _forever_." She elaborates, absolutely certain of the fact.

"I like the sound of that."

With one last kiss on the cheek, he is gone.

Clarke watches him leave until he is out of sight. She has to concentrate very hard, because there are words threatening to spill from her too-honest lips. She finds herself strongly tempted to rush over to Jackson, on the far side of the room, and rave about how happy she is, how much Bellamy loves her, how everything is going to be OK.

She doesn't do that, though. She clamps her jaw tight shut, and takes a careful seat on a nearby chair. She's had a tough few days, physically and mentally, and she could use the rest. But honestly, her head's feeling a lot better now. And one thing's for certain – her heart's in very good shape indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
